Grapeland man indicted on online solicitation of a minor charge

A 48-year-old Grapeland man has been indicted by a Smith County grand jury for online solicitation of a minor after investigators with the Tyler Police Department said they believe he traveled to Tyler to meet with a 13-year-old girl he’d been communicating with on a dating website.

Charles Tutt, 48, of Grapeland, faces an online solicitation of a minor charge and was booked into the jail after turning himself in in November. He is currently being held on a $250,000 bond.

Police said Tutt used an online dating site and thought he had been communicating with a 13-year-old for a few weeks. However, he was communicating with a Tyler Police Department investigator.

It was arranged that the two would meet at a popular location in Tyler, police said. Tutt never showed up at the location but police said he traveled to Tyler. After Tutt didn’t show up, police advised him there was a warrant for his arrest. Soon after, police said Tutt turned himself in.